The World's Best Book Summaries
What is Friedrich Nietzsche’s happiness philosophy? What are his thoughts on pursuing happiness? In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche explains his views on life, love, happiness, and ultimately human existence. According to Nietzsche, you should focus on finding happiness and joy for yourself while allowing room for discomfort. Read on to learn about Nietzsche’s philosophy of happiness, including a brief learning exercise.
Are you looking for John Rawls’s quotes from A Theory of Justice? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls explores the best and most just way a society can distribute social goods like rights, wealth, and power. He argues that people can and should determine the distribution of these goods entirely through reason, rather than by appeals to one’s identity—sex, race, religion, etc. Below is a selection of passages highlighting some of the key ideas.
Does hardship make you stronger? What can we learn about hardship and philosophy? German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote the influential novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra to share his views on life and philosophy. According to the novel, enduring hardship makes you stronger and is even a necessity in life. Read on to learn why hardship makes you stronger, according to Nietzsche’s philosophy.
What’s a definition of justice everyone can agree on? How should wealth and power be distributed in society? What obligations do citizens have to each other? These are some of the questions John Rawls confronts in his 1971 work, A Theory of Justice. The conclusion is Rawls’s theory of “justice as fairness,” which merges liberalism’s emphasis on equal rights and individualism with economic equality and safety nets for the most vulnerable members of society. Below is a brief overview of John Rawls’s book A Theory of Justice.
What is the purpose of the original position? What conclusions are most likely to result from the debate under the original position? The original position is a hypothetical situation where a group of equals must arrive at a rational definition of justice. According to John Rawls, the original position ensures that the decision-makers won’t tend toward utilitarian theories of justice and will arrive at many of the same conclusions. Keep reading to learn how the original position is negotiated and what the likely conclusions are.
What is Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy of revenge? How does he explain justice, punishment, and revenge? On revenge, Nietzsche’s philosophy can be understood, in part, by exploring his philosophical work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. According to the novel, concepts like justice and punishment are just euphemisms for revenge. Keep reading to learn more about Nietzsche’s philosophy of revenge, based on Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
What are John Rawls’s two principles of justice? How might each principle influence the rules and distribution systems of society? Rawls’s principles of justice result from the original position. The principle of distributive justice states that everyone should have equal rights, liberties, and duties. The difference principle states that some inequality can be permitted in circumstances where it makes the least advantaged better off. Keep reading to learn about Rawls’s principles of justice as fairness.
What is Friedrich Nietzsche’s free will philosophy? What does the “will to power” mean? According to Friedrich Nietzsche, free will is the essence of life, driving animals and humans to compete and evolve. In the novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche creatively explains his philosophy of free will through the teachings of the novel’s protagonist Zarathustra. Read on to learn about free will and Nietzsche’s “will to power,” according to Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
What is Friedrich Nietzsche’s argument for the death of God? Why does he criticize Christianity? German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche explains his beliefs about life and philosophy in the influential novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra. According to Nietzsche, the death of God represents part of his argument against the spiritual reality that Christians believe in. Read on to learn about Nietzsche’s argument for the death of God, based on Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
What does John Rawls say about basic rights and liberties? Under what circumstances does Rawls’s theory allow for the restriction of individuals’ basic rights and liberties? According to John Rawls’s theory of justice, everyone in society is entitled to basic equal rights, liberties, and duties. However, Rawls acknowledges that conflicts between different rights and liberties can arise. Here’s what Rawls says on rights and liberties.